Savannah: sophisticated South

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With its enchanting tree-lined squares and Victorian homes, Savannah possesses an old elegance. But beneath its seductive charm, Georgia’s oldest city is rich in African American history. The first slave ships to arrive in Georgia entered Savannah’s port in 1749. Savannah is where the Negro Baptist Church began in America and where Sherman promised newly freed slaves “40 acres and a mule.”

Where to worship: Founded in 1773, First African Baptist Church (23 Montgomery St.; 912-233-6597) is considered the birthplace of the area’s civil rights movement. Built by slaves, it claims to be North America’s oldest continuously active black church…Begun in 1802, Second African Baptist Church (123 Houston St.; 912-233-6163) is where General Sherman read the Emancipation Proclamation to Savannah’s citizens. Martin Luther King Jr. also preached segments of his “I Have A Dream” sermon here, before repeating it during the famous March on Washington.

Sleepy time: Opened in 1996, Grande Toots Inn (212 W. Hall St.; 912-236-2911, 800-835-6831) is Savannah’s first black-owned bed and breakfast. The rooms at this elegantly restored Victorian home are furnished with antiques.

Rates are $115 to $160…Claudia’s Manor (101 E. 35 St.; 912-238-1222, 800-773-8177; www.claudiasmanor.com)
is the city’s second black-owned B&B. Its rooms are decorated in different themes.